


Five Times Danny Chose Daniel

by fenellaevangela



Category: Body (movie concept)
Genre: 5 Times, M/M, Yuletide 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 13:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fenellaevangela/pseuds/fenellaevangela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What it says on the tin :-)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Danny Chose Daniel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [automaticdoor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/automaticdoor/gifts).



> For easy reference: [BODY](http://gorgons.tumblr.com/post/20211864309/daniel-henney-may-be-something-of-a-loose-cannon).

**1\. Before they ever met**

Danny had heard people complain that no one ever teaches you how to do the things you need to know how to do in order to be a functioning adult – things like renting an apartment or doing your taxes. Danny wasn't so sure about that, but he was starting to realize that there were some things that you just never learned anything about until you had to do them for yourself.

Like hiring a personal bodyguard.

The suggestion had seemed extreme when the police detective had first mentioned it, but eventually Danny had to admit that desperate times called for desperate measures. He flipped through the files again. At least the police department had been able to recommend a few reliable candidates, but choosing one was still overwhelming. They all looked the same to him – training, experience, references. None of them stood out as obviously better than any of the others. 

“That guy's a real hard ass,” said someone behind him, making Danny jump.

“Oh my _god_ ,” Danny gasped. His heart was pounding in his chest. He turned around and found a woman in a police uniform standing just inside the doorway, holding a paper cup and wincing at herself.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said. She walked the few feet to the table and set the coffee down next to the pile of files. “Detective Chen asked me to bring you some coffee. I didn't mean to startle you.”

Danny tried to smile, although he wasn't sure how convincing it looked with adrenaline still flooding his system. “Well, you shouldn't sneak up on someone who's been getting death threats, but you brought me caffeine so I'll have to forgive you.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” said the detective, smiling back at him. She held out her hand. “I'm Officer Rawlins.”

“Danny Pudi,” offered Danny, shaking her hand. “But you probably knew that.”

“I was aware,” Rawlins agreed. “So are you having any luck?”

Danny shrugged. “Not really. They all sort of look the same to me, you know?”

“Well I can give you one piece of advice: don't pick that guy.” She gestured towards the folder at the top of the pile. “You might as well just be in protective custody for all the freedom you'll get. I assume if that's what you wanted you would've taken Chen up on her offer.”

That was true enough. 

“Thanks,” Danny said. He put that file aside, then fanned the others out so that each name was visible. There were still four more bodyguards to choose from, and Danny was one step away from just picking a name out of a hat. “Any other insights you don't mind sharing?”

Rawlins leaned down slightly, taking a closer look at the files. After a moment she reached out and touched one of the middle files.

“I'm not familiar with the rest of these guys,” she admitted. “But this guy here? He's a bit of a loose cannon.”

Danny was pretty surprised to hear that, since the department had recommended him. “Really?”

“Oh, he's a good bodyguard,” Rawlins reassured him, straightening up. “I don't mean to suggest otherwise. He's just a bit . . . rough around the edges.”

 _Huh_ , Danny thought. He picked up the file Rawlins had indicated. _Daniel Henney. Interesting._

**2\. At lunch**

“I'll be back in a few minutes,” Danny explained. “I just have to circulate, you know, try to manage the chaos.”

Daniel nodded. “Don't leave the room without telling me.”

“Gotcha,” the other man said, giving him two thumbs up before heading off across the room.

Daniel walked the perimeter while Danny did his rounds. It _would_ be just Daniel's luck that the threat on Danny's life coincided perfectly with the week he had lunch duty. If Daniel had his way they wouldn't be there – they would be eating their lunch in a room with a lock on the door, like any reasonable person would if they had someone trying to kill them. Instead, they were in a grade school lunch room.

The lunch room looked like every other school lunch room Daniel had ever seen, crowded with tables and lit just a bit too bright. It was also pretty crowded, with most of the student body filling the room, but it didn't make Daniel's bodyguard-sense tingle; adults stood out among the crowd like sore thumbs.

Unfortunately, he realized a few minutes later, small children were sneakier than he gave them credit for.

“Heya, mister.”

Daniel stopped abruptly, looking down. Standing next to him was a small child in a fuzzy green sweater, chewing on what appeared to be a granola bar that was more chocolate than granola. Daniel narrowed his eyes briefly and then did a quick visual sweep of the area. He hadn't even seen the child approach him.

“You wanna apple?” the child asked, pulling one out of a pocket.

“No, thank you,” Daniel said. He waited a moment but the child just stood there, staring at him, so he started walking again.

The child trailed along beside him. 

Daniel forced himself not to snap. “Shouldn't you be sitting somewhere?”

“I finished my lunch already,” the child explained.

“You still have an apple,” Daniel pointed out.

The child huffed. “I don't _like_ apples.” 

“Well, your mother packed you one for a reason,” said Danny's voice from behind them. Daniel turned around quickly, trying not to make it too obvious that he'd let a small child distract him enough to lose site of his client, even if it was only for a minute.

“But I don't _like_ them,” the child complained, pouting. 

Danny crouched down to the child's height. “Sometimes we have to eat things we don't really like,” he explained, “so we can get all the nutrition our bodies need. Can you try eating a few bites?”

The child sighed. “Okay.”

Danny stood back up, smiling brightly at the child. “Thank you! Why don't you go find a seat at your table?”

The two men watched as the child shuffled off to one of the closer tables and then reluctantly started eating the apple.

Danny looked sideways at his bodyguard. “I thought maybe you needed rescuing,” he said. He was _smirking_.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “I'm the one who's supposed to rescue you, remember?”

“Absolutely,” said Danny, nodding solemnly. Then he smirked again. “Unless my attackers are tiny children, though, right?”

Daniel sighed but didn't bother responding. He wasn't good with kids. That was just a fact.

“Anyway, I was going to sit down and eat now,” Danny told him.

“Yeah, all right,” said Daniel. “I'll go find a good spot to watch the room from.”

Before Daniel could turn to leave, Danny grabbed his wrist.

“Have you even eaten yet?” Danny asked.

Daniel shook his head no. “I can eat later, when we're somewhere quieter.”

The look Danny gave him made it obvious what he thought of that plan. “Why don't you just eat with me?”

“That's not necessary.”

“Come on, I want some company anyway,” Danny said. “Normally I ask some of the students if they want to eat at the 'grown-up table', but it'll be nice to have an adult to eat with. Please.”

Daniel smiled. “All right, then.”

**3\. In an ambulance**

The paramedic helped Danny into the back of the ambulance. Danny thought he was fine – Daniel had shielded him from the blast, _he_ was probably the one who was hurt – but Daniel and the paramedics had insisted he get checked out right away.

“Okay, we're just going to do a few tests,” the paramedic explained. She helped Danny settle onto the gurney and then sat on the bench across from him, pulling out a penlight. 

As the paramedic went through the process of checking his pupils and testing his reflexes, Danny found it difficult to pay attention. A voice in the back of his head wondered if maybe that was a bad sign, but a much louder voice reminded him that it was probably okay if he was distracted, because _his car had just exploded_.

“Oh my god, my car just _blew up_ ,” Danny said. It sounded just as absurd when he said it out loud.

“Yeah,” came Daniel's voice. Danny looked over and found the other man leaning against the ambulance's bumper. His clothes were dirty and there was a bandage on the side of his face, but he mostly looked fine.“You're lucky I was there.”

“I don't think _lucky_ describes my life right now,” Danny countered.

“Oh, and which of us is bleeding?” asked Daniel, pointing at his bandage.

The paramedic sighed and turned to Daniel. “ _Sir_ , if you could wait a moment, please? He can either talk to you or listen to me, not both.”

“No, it's all right,” Danny said, getting up. “I feel fine. I'm fine, right?”

“Sir - ”

Daniel backed up a few steps to give Danny room to hop out of the ambulance. “Are you sure you're okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Danny said, with more certainty than he really felt. “I just want to go home.”

**4\. In the basement**

Daniel gave the apartment a once over, finding nothing suspicious, but he still wasn't happy.

“This place isn't secure,” he said. “If we're going to stay here tonight, I'm not letting you out of my sight. Where's the bedroom?”

Danny gestured behind him. “Right there – wait. You want to watch me while I _sleep_?”

“Look, you don't have to like it,” Daniel said, “but the fact is that you hired me to keep you safe and this will keep you safe. Okay?”

Danny sighed. “Fine. But you're not sitting in the corner like a creeper, alright? I've got a cot. You can sleep on that.”

“I don't need - ”

“What, sleep?” Daniel gave a little huff but didn't respond. “Yeah, I thought so. I didn't hire you to stay up all night and be exhausted when I really need you. So take the cot.”

“I don't need a cot,” Daniel insisted. He'd slept on floors during jobs before, after all, and one time it had even helped him save a client.

“Would you rather share my bed?” Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Daniel raised an eyebrow right back at him. _Not while I'm working_ , he thought, but didn't say anything. 

Danny smirked. “Well then, the cot it is. But you're the one digging it out of my storage space downstairs, it's a mess.”

The trek down three flights and into the basement was quiet but Daniel was jumpy. He didn't like that they were spending the night in Danny's apartment in the first place, not after a second attempt on Danny's life earlier that day, but since they were, he wanted to secure it as best as he could and then get some shut eye, not wander the building in search of a cot he didn't even need. 

The actual basement was a bodyguard's nightmare. The entire room was sectioned into individual storage units with plywood and chain link fencing, effectively turning it into a cramped, poorly lit maze. To make matters worse, Daniel spotted a glowing exit sign across the room which meant there was at least one more entrance he'd have to watch.

“So where's the damn cot?” he asked, ready to get the thing and go.

“My unit's over here,” Danny said. He lead Daniel down the nearest row and turned twice before they eventually reached the storage unit labeled with his apartment number. The unit was packed so full it looked like it couldn't even be opened without triggering an avalanche of holiday decorations and old furniture.

“Are you kidding me?” Daniel said. He couldn't even _see_ a cot. “This is a waste of time. I'd rather just - ” He stopped, gesturing at Danny to be quiet. He pulled out his gun. For a moment there was only silence.

“What - ” Danny whispered.

A muffled voice came to them from the other side of the room. “Which way?”

“Will you shut up?” said another voice.

Danny's eyes grew big and round, and a small gasp escaped his throat. Daniel held his finger to his lips, waiting until Danny calmed enough to nod jerkily. Silent. They had to be silent.

Daniel wasn't able to hear whoever it was who had followed them into the basement, but he knew there were at least two of them. He didn't have any back-up and the closest exit wasn't close enough, so he gestured at Danny to stay close and began checking the nearby storage units. Danny's was a lost cause, but if he could find one that was unlocked and relatively empty . . . 

After a minute of frantic searching, with his ears straining to hear any sign of approach and Danny bumping into his side every time he moved, Daniel finally found an unlocked unit. There were boxes inside, but nothing that would stop a bullet. He herded Danny inside anyway. _They'll have to find us before they can shoot us_ , Daniel thought.

They huddled behind a pile of boxes and, once he was sure they were hidden from sight, Daniel pulled out his phone. First he sent a text to his contact at the police department. With any luck the police would arrive before the hitmen left . . . or before they found Danny. Then he opened the memo app and tapped out a short message. He bumped Danny's knee to get his attention, holding the phone out.

is your phone on silent?

Danny stared at it for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He pressed a few buttons and then nodded.

Daniel wrote out a second message.

cops will be here soon  
i got your back til then  
you'll be okay

Danny nodded again. Then he smiled a small, forced smile and Daniel felt his heart clench tight in his chest. How someone could want this man dead, Daniel couldn't understand. He put his phone down on the cold cement floor between them and placed his hand on Danny's knee. He could feel it shaking under his palm and he squeezed it gently, trying to reassure the other man that everything really would be all right.

The wait in the storage unit felt excruciatingly long. Daniel stayed vigilant, his gun at the ready, but when the sound of footsteps finally reached them they passed by the unit without pause. The sound soon faded and they were sitting in silence once more. Only the occasional rattle of chain link fencing echoing across the room gave any indication that the others were still in the basement at all.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a loud voice.

“Police! Put the weapon down on the ground!”

Danny jumped at the noise and Daniel resisted the urge to move, to get Danny out and away in case a firefight broke out. Instead, he held out an arm to keep Danny in place.

“Not yet,” Daniel whispered. 

Danny nodded, eyes wide. The two of them listened and waited. There was one gunshot, which made Danny flinch, but it wasn't long before they heard an officer call out the all clear.

Danny made as if to get up, but Daniel shook his head.

“Wait,” he said. He picked up his cell phone, holding it so the screen was clearly visible to both Danny and himself. A moment later a new text appeared.

All clear, Henney.

Danny looked up at Daniel's face. Daniel shook his head again and sent a text in response.

codeword?

A few moments passed, and then Daniel's phone received another text.

Bravo, romeo, clockwork.

Daniel smiled. “We're coming out!” he called.

When they made it back to the front of the room near the stairwell Daniel was relieved to find a group of police officers waiting for them, including his contact from the department.

“Vasquez,” Daniel said, holding out his hand. “Aren't I glad to see you. What do we got?”

Vasquez shook hands with him. “We apprehended a lookout upstairs, plus the two guys in here. Whoever has it out for Mr. Pudi means business. These weren't exactly amateurs.”

Danny snorted. “I could have told you _that_.”

Vasquez sighed. “Yes, well, my point is that these men aren't the ones after you, Mr. Pudi. Someone hired them to kill you tonight just like they hired someone to plant that bomb in your car this morning.” She crossed her arms. “I really think you should reconsider protective custody. Henney's a damn good bodyguard, but he's just one man.”

“Wow, thanks Vasquez,” Daniel said. “Can I stick that on my website?” 

Vasquez frowned. “I'm being serious here, Henney. This job is more than one person can handle. Did you feel like you were in control tonight?”

Danny spoke up before Daniel could answer. “I appreciate the concern, officer. I think - I think you're right.”

“Well, I'm glad to hear that, Mr Pudi,” said Vasquez, smiling. “We can make the arrangements immediately, if you're ready?”

Danny nodded and Daniel turned to him, offering his hand. 

“I guess this is the end of our contract,” Daniel said.

Danny's brow furrowed. “What? No!” He turned to Vasquez. “You said Daniel's a good bodyguard. Well, he's _my_ bodyguard and I still want him watching my back. I want him to come with me to the safe house.”

**5\. At the police station**

Danny and Daniel sat next to each other in the cheap plastic chairs of the police precinct, waiting for an officer to come take their statements. Danny could hardly believe that he was almost done with the whole surreal experience of death threats, bombings, and bodyguards – that all he had to do was give his statement and then he could go home. _Alone_.

He turned his head and watched Daniel as Daniel watched the rest of the room. Even surrounded by police, even with Danny's tormentor locked up (and hopefully for good), the bodyguard was still looking out for him.

“Mr. Pudi?”

The sound of Officer Vasquez's voice jolted Danny out of his reverie. He looked up. “Yes?”

“We're ready for you in the interview room.”

Danny nodded and stood. Before following Vasquez's lead, he turned towards Daniel and offered his hand. 

“Daniel, I want to thank you for everything you did for me.”

“All part of the job,” Daniel said, shaking Danny's hand.

“Well, it meant a lot to me,” Danny told him. He released the other man's hand and took a step back. “And now . . . I guess I won't be needing your services anymore.”

Daniel nodded. “You were a hell of a client.”

“And you were a hell of a bodyguard,” Danny said, before nodding goodbye and turning to head down the hall.

Giving his statement took longer than Danny had anticipated. By the time he was finished and ready to leave it was starting to get late, and he was trying to decide if he should take the bus home or spring for a taxi when he noticed a familiar figure standing in the lobby, seemingly admiring a series of plaques displayed on the wall.

“Daniel?” Danny said.

Daniel turned around, smiling. “Oh, hey, you're done. Finally.”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed. He wasn't quite sure how to ask the question he wanted to ask, so he just blurted it out. “What are you still doing here? I thought our contract was over.”

Daniel gasped in mock offense. “Now what kind of professional would I be if I left you stranded at the police station? I do have _some_ standards, you know.”

Danny laughed. “So you hung around for three hours just to drive me home?”

Daniel shrugged. “Maybe. I could leave you to public transit, if you'd rather?”

“Well, actually . . .” 

Before he could let his nerves get the best of him, Danny stepped forward into Daniel's personal space and raised one hand to grip the other man's shoulder. Daniel quirked an eyebrow at him abut he didn't object when Danny leaned in and kissed him. He even, to Danny's eternal delight, _kissed back_.

Daniel pulled back a few moments later. “So, is that a yes to the ride?” he asked, smirking.

Danny smiled. Maybe he wouldn't be going home alone after all.


End file.
